Electrical connector



April 16,1946. ACY 2,393,433

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed March 18, 1944 Q INVENTOR JZ/VL-TS 6. W0.

Patented Apr. 16, 1946 ELECTRICAL comc'ron James C. Macy, New Cumberland, Pa assignmto Aircraft-Marine Products Inc., Hnrrilburg, Pa.,

a corporation of New Jersey Application March 18, 1944, Serial N0. 527,030

6 Claims. (Cl. 287-76) This invention relates to connectors for electrical conductors or the like and has for its general object the provision of an effective connector of good electrical conductivity made up of counterpart terminals clamped together by screws, which connector will be more convenient to use than connectors of this type -heretofore made and which will be less likely to become disconnected when the connection has once been made.

The invention aims particularly to make an eilective connector which is so simple in its construction and in its manner of use that it is substantially foolproof.

An important feature of the invention is the provision, on each terminal of the counterpart terminals of the novel connector of the present invention, of a shoulder which so cooperates with the shank of the clamp screw, or with a boss surrounding said shank, as to position a tongue on the counterpart terminal, which has a shank or boss receiving recess in one edge thereof, that the parts, when secured by the clamp screw, are interlocked against separation in any direction and that the elements of the coxmector when thus interlocked are rigidly held against any movement relative to each other, whereby any tendency of such movement of the parts to cause a gradual loosening of ;the clamping screws is obviated.

Another important feature of'the invention, in the preferred form thereof, is an arrangement whereby only one side of the head of the clamping screw is brought into clamping relation to the tongue of the counterpart terminal when the clamping screw has been screwed down into clamping relation thereto, whereby the clamping pressure thus exerted tends to tilt the screw shank and thereby effect a binding action or locking of the screw in its threaded opening in the terminal. v

Other important features and objects of the invention to which reference has not been made hereinabove will appear hereinafter when the following description and claims are considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in whicht Figure 1 is a plan view of counterpart terminals embodying the preferred form of the present invention in their disassembled relation;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the terminals shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the connector in-its assembled condition, and in this case showing lated wire and with additional conflnin sleeves l;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a plan view of the counterpart terminals of a connector emboding a modified form ends; this ferrule portion comprising the usualwings 3 adapted to be rolled-up so as to embrace the wire. a A seamless sleeve 4 may be fitted over the ferrule 2 and crimped as shown at 5 and 8 to hold it in position. The ferrule portion 2 of the terminal and the sleeve 4 are crimped together into interlocking relation to the wire or other electrical conductor, as shown at I.

The main body of the terminal has a clamping face 8 kept substantially in its flat condition except for an upturned flange III on one edge to constitute a shoulder between which and the clamping screw [2 the tongue ll of the counterpart terminal is received. The tongue M has formed in its inner edge a recess l6 shaped to clamping screw i2, or more advantageously a boss 20 formed about the threaded hole which receives the screw l2. The boss 20 serves both to increase the threaded length of the hole beyond the thickness of the terminal stock, and to engage the tongue I of an interlocking terminal so as to prevent the tongue from working against the screw so as to work it loose. It is not essential that. the boss 20 be integral with or even that it be secured to the tongue l4; although it is advantageous that it should not be rigidly secured to the screw 12-. The boss 20, moreover, is not essential to the invention in its broadest aspect, and could be omitted where the connection is not to be subjected to severe service. In the claims, where reference is made to the tongue of one terminal snugly fitting between the shoulder and the shank of the clamp screw of the other terminal, it will be understood that this expression is intended to cover both those constructions which may have a boss or other member of sufllcient height to extend into the recess the connector terminals crimped onto an insuu it in the tongue I4 and protect the screw I2 l8 of the against directly engaging the tongue.and also those constructions in which the recess IO directly receives the screw l2.

As shown in the drawings. the central portion l8 of the screw [2 is long enough and the screw is threaded throughout a sufllcient part thereof so that the two terminals may be brought into their interengaging r interlocking'relation to each other without removing the screws l2. When thus brought into interlocking relation to each other, as shown in Figure 3, the tongue ll of each terminal will be slid under the head i4 and fitted snugly between the shoulder ii and the shank of the screw with or without an intervening member such as the boss 22; and, when the screw i2 has been brought down into clamping relation to the parts, as shown in Figure 3, they will be confined against separating movement in any direction and also against movement about the screws. In other words, the connector then becomes a rigid structure in which no relative movement of the parts can take place so long as the screws I2 are in clamping relation to the tongues It. The boss 20, when used, should boot a height less than the thickness of the tongue i4, so that the head of the screw is free to clamp tightly against the interlocking tongue. i r

The use of a single offset tongue is important. although a symmetrical slotted tongue can be used as more particularly described below. With such a single tongue the force exerted by the heads of the screws i2 will, in each case, be a one-sided affair and further screwing oi the screws into the bodies of the two terminals, after the heads have engaged the tongues it, will tend to tilt the screws sidewise away from the tongues slightly, thereby effecting a binding engagement or self-locking action of the. screws in their threaded openings, which tends to lock the screws against turning in the releasing direction.

As above stated, the screws l2 are made long enough so that each terminal can be brought into interlocking relation to another without withdrawing the screws 12 entirely from the terminals. To prevent such withdrawal the ends of the screws ii are preferably spread so that they bind if drawn up into the threaded hole.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figures to 7, inclusive, each of the terminals, instead of being provided with a single tongue, offset both laterally and longitudinally with respect to the shoulder, as in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, is provided with a double or slotted symmetrical tongue 22, having in the slot a shank receiving recess 28 made up of edge recesses in the two tongues similar to the recesses it in the terminal of Figures 1 to 3. In this form of the invention, the recess 28 is preferably of a size to receive a boss 28 similar to the boss shown in Figure 2 and the slot 30 between the tongues 22 is preferably of a width merely suiilcient to pass over the central portion 32 of the clamp screw 34.

However. in this form of the invention, as in the form shown in Figures 1 to 3, there is the same cooperation between the tongues 22 of one of the counterpart terminals and the shoulders 36 and 3B of the other counterpart terminal to aaoaeas insure maintenance of the interlocked terminals in rigid condition in their assembled relation to each other. As in the form of the invention Shown in Flsures l to 3. inclusive, the shoulders 28 and 38 are formed by turning up flanges on the two edges of the clamping face II on the main part of the terminal. I v

Asshown in Figures 5 and 6, the shank 32 of each clamping screw 2 is long enough so that the parts may be brought into assembled relation to each other without withdrawing the screw entirely from the terminal. T prevent such withdrawal the end of the screw is enlarged as shown at 42 in Figure 5.

I In this form of the invention, since the two tongues cannot conveniently both be oflset laterally. as in the case of the single tongue l4 shown in Figure 1, it is necessary to turn cheer the terminals bottom side up to bring them into interlocking relation to each other. This is a distinct disadvantage as compared to the device shown in Figures 1 to 3.

From the foregoing description itwill be seen that in both forms of the invention a foolproof, rigidly interlocked connector, made up of counterpart terminals. is provided.

I claim:

1. A connector for electrical conductors or the like comprising counterpart terminals each having a clamping face, a cooperating clamp screw and a tongue provided with a recess in a lateral edge thereof, each of said terminals also having a shoulder between which and the clamp screw the tongue of the other terminal snugly fits when the shank of the clamp screw is in the recess of said tongue.

2. A connector according to claim 1 in which the tongue is oifset from the plane of the clamp ing faces substantially the thickness of the tongue.

3. A connector according to claim 1- in which the tongue extends from that part of the terminal lying on the opposite side of the clamp screw from the shoulder.

4. A connector for electrical conductors or the like comprising. counterpart terminals each having a clamping face provided with a shoulder, a

. cooperating clamp screw spaced from said shoulder and a tongue offset from said shoulder and extending in a direction substantially parallel thereto from that part of said terminal which lies on the opposite side of said clamping screw from said shoulder, said tongue-being provided with a screw-shank receiving recess and the parts being so proportioned in respect to the location of the clamp screw that, when the tongue of each counterpart terminal is clamped against said clamping face of the other terminal it is locked against said shoulder and locked longitudinally by said recess, and may be clamped in such interlocking relation thereto by the clamp screw.

5. A connector according to claim 4 in which the tongue is also offset from the plane of the clamping face substantially the thickness of that part of the connector having the clamping face thereon.

6. A connector according. to claim 1 in which a boss on the terminal about the screw shank fits the recess in said tongue.

JAMES C. MACY. 

